How Neil Young Broke my Heart

“He asked, “Who is the Cinnamon Girl?” I told him he would meet her in LA—she was my wife and had the most beautiful eyes in the world… We got into LA at night, pulled up to Sunset Sound studios, where Pegi was recording, and just as I had promised, there was Cinnamon Girl, waiting by the curb.”

Neil Young, Waging Heavy Peace

CC David McEachern on flickr

It is very rare these days for a news story to make me cry. It is sad to say, with all the awful events going on in the world. I have become so desensitized to it all. However, I remember exactly when I was in class a few weeks ago and was nearly brought to tears after reading about the break up of Neil and Pegi Young.

It is incredible to me that the lives of two people I have never met could affect me so personally. I will admit I am not that familiar with Pegi Young’s music, but after reading “Waging Heavy Peace”, I fell in love with her. I fell in love with the things Neil said about her. I am not much of a romantic, but to me, their love was perfect.

As angry as I claim to be with Mr. Young, I can’t help but feeling like a hypocrite. Who am I to criticize his decisions?

As I sit here listening to After the Gold Rush, I feel truly fascinated of how the way you perceive the world can be influenced through music. In my eyes, Neil Young is the King of Canadian rock. However, we have to realize that kings are humans too. They made mistakes, and they cannot always make things work.

I will stay on Team Pegi, but this will not effect my admiration and appreciation of the legendary Neil Young.